BEFORE YOU CAN JOIN THE AIR FORCE...YOU MUST MEET SOME HEAVY STANDARDS FOR BACKGROUND...INTELLIGENCE... AND PHYSICAL CONDITION.FOR THE AIR FORCE... THE "PAST"... IS THE PHYSICAL ABILITY AND STAMINA TEST. RECRUITERS SAY EVEN THE FITTEST PEOPLE HAVE TO WORK HARD TO CONQUER IT.VANESSA RUFFES EXPLAINS WHY THEY SAY -- DEPENDING ON YOUR SPECIALTY -- THE ODDS OF PASSING THE FIRST TIME COULD BE AS SLIM AS 1 IN 10.
<<
Nats, "You gotta pick it up. You're not going to make it. Let's go!"

A HANDFUL OF APPLICANTS... HOPING TO CALL THEMSELVES AIR FORCE RECRUITS PUSH THEIR PHYSICAL LIMITS.

Nats, "Touch your chest... you're pulling. I ain't counting."

SIT-UPS... AND PUSH-UPS ARE JUST PART OF THE AIR FORCE'S PHYSICAL ABILITY AND STAMINA TEST, OR "PAST."

DEPENDING ON WHICH FIELD APPLICANTS ARE AIMING FOR....THE TEST CAN BE MORE RIGOROUS... AND THE CHANCES OF PASSING SLIMMER.

NATS

FOR TACTICAL AIR CONTROL... RECRUITERS SAY THE PASS RATE IS ABOUT FIFTY PERCENT... FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS -- WHICH HAS STRICTER REQUIREMENTS -- IT RANGES FROM 10 TO 25 PERCENT.

Dustin Strickland "It doesn't matter how good of shape you're in, it's going to hurt when you take it. It's just one thing after the other."

FOR DUSTIN STRICKLAND -- WHO'S IN THE SPECIAL OPS CATEGORY -- THE TEST INCLUDES SWIMMING... RUNNING AND CALISTHENICS... ROUGHLY WITHIN A 2 HOUR PERIOD.
HE FAILED THE FIRST TIME ... BUT PASSED IT THE NEXT.
NOW HE DOES IT MONTHLY UNTIL BASIC TRAINING... TO SHOW HE'S KEEPING IN SHAPE.

NATS

AIR FORCE RECRUITER SERGEANT ROBERT JONES SAYS MOST APPLICANTS...TAKE THE TEST MORE THAN ONCE... .
HE SAYS ITS DIFFICULTY HELPS THEM PICK THE MOST DEDICATED.

Jones "We really just get a good measure of how much heart they have. How much character they have. Will they continue to push, even when their body gives out?"

STRICKLAND SAYS THAT MAKES MENTAL STRENGTH COUNT JUST AS MUCH AS PHYSICAL.

Strickland "Everyone has that little voice in their head that's like -- "Quit. You need to stop." But really, it's about ten seconds after that point is when you go into the zone and just finish it."

VANESSA RUFFES 13WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS.
>>RECRUITERS SAY APPLICANTS WHO FAIL CAN RETAKE THE TEST IN THIRTY DAYS.JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF TEST REQUIREMENTS INCLUDE SWIMMING 500 METERS IN ABOUT 11 MINUTES...RUNNING A MILE AND A HALF IN ABOUT 11 MINUTES...AND DOING ABOUT FORTY PUSH-UPS IN 2 MINUTES.

MACON CITY COUNCILMAN ERICK ERICKSON HAS RESIGNED HIS POST AS OF THIS FRIDAY.
THE THREE YEAR COUNCILMAN RECENTLY TOOK A NEW JOB WITH W-S-B IN ALTANTA AS A TALK-RADIO SHOW HOST...
ACCORDING TO HIS LETTER OF RESIGNATION... HIS WORK SCHEDULE CONFLICTS WITH HIS COUNCIL DUTIES.ERICKSON TALKED TO EYEWITNESS NEWS TODAY ABOUT HIS BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS WHILE ON COUNCIL.... WHICH INCLUDED CRACKING DOWN ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND AND GENERATING RENEWED INTEREST IN THE AIRPORT.HE ALSO TALKED ABOUT HIS DISCORD WITH COUNCIL.For example...the night that we voted to have the mayor lay off employees, we gave $100,000 to museums in town. That was a great disconnect to me.ERICKSON SAID HIS BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT WITH COUNCIL INVOLVED MEMBERS BEING UNABLE TO RE-THINK HOW THEY SPEND MONEY..ERICKSON MOVED TO A NEW HOME OUTSIDE OF MACON CITY LIMITS... AND SAYS THAT MAKES HIM INELIGIBLE TO CONTINUE TO SERVE ON COUNCIL...
ACCORDING TO CITY CHARTER... CITY COUNCIL MAY APPOINT A REPLACEMENT FOR THE LAST 10 MONTHS OF HIS TERM.

GEORGIA LAWMAKERS COULD SOON EXPAND ANTI-BULLYING LAWS.NEW LEGISLATION COULD GO BEFORE THE STATE HOUSE THAT WOULD MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO USE TECHNOLOGY LIKE TEXT MESSAGES AND EMAIL TO BULLY OTHERS.LAUREN DISPIRITO SHOWS YOU WHAT ONE CENTRAL GEORGIA SCHOOL COUNSELOR SAYS ABOUT THE IDEA... AND HOW SOME STUDENTS AT HER SCHOOL ARE USING A NEW PROGRAM TO PREVENT BULLYING.
JONES COUNTY EIGHTH GRADER ADELIA HENDERSON SAYS BULLYING... NOW MATTER WHAT FORM IT TAKES... CAN BE TOUGH TO STOP.

Adelia Henderson, 8th grade, ambassador: "A bully will be a bully whether it's face to face or through a text message."

SOME STUDENTS AT CLIFTON RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL SAY BULLIES USE NEWER TOOLS... LIKE TEXTING... AND FACEBOOK.

Melissa Smith, 8th grade, ambassador: "Someone will post something that someone doesn't agree with and they'll get into a huge argument over it.
Adelia Henderson, 8th grade, ambassador: "And they don't have the opportunity to cool down, like you normally do."

COUNSELOR KIM LANFORD SAYS LAST MONTH... THE SCHOOL USED GRANT FUNDS TO START A SAFE SCHOOL AMBASSADOR PROGRAM... THAT TRAINS STUDENTS TO SPOT BULLYING... AND GET HELP.

Kim Lanford, School Counselor: "the kids are on the front lines, the kids are what see this mistreatment first"

LANFORD SAYS STUDENTS CAN BE A GOOD LINE OF DEFENSE... BECAUSE THEY OFTEN HEAR ABOUT CONFLICTS THROUGH TEXT MESSAGES... OR SOCIAL MEDIA SITES... BEFORE ADULTS DO. SHE SAYS MORE CYBER-BULLYING LAWS COULD HELP TOO.

Kim Lanford, School Counselor: I'm glad to know that they're recognizing that as a form of bullying that needs to be addressed at the school level."

GRAPHIC
NEW LEGISLATION WOULD PROHIBIT STUDENTS FROM BULLYING THROUGH EMAIL... AND TEXT MESSAGES... ON SCHOOL PROPERTY.
... AT BUS STOPS... AND AT SCHOOL FUNCTIONS.
THE BILL WOULD MAKE IT ILLEGAL FOR STUDENTS TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES TO BULLY OTHER STUDENTS... SCHOOL STAFF... AND AFFECT THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.

Kaitlyn Hemstreet, 8th grade ambassador: "They are more willing to say something on Facebook than face to face."

AMBASSADOR KAITLYN HEMSTREET SAYS LAWS MIGHT DETER STUDENTS FROM MISUSING SOCIAL MEDIA... WHILE BRIAN BOWMAN HOPES THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOGETHER... THAT'S FELT BEYOND SCHOOL HALLS.

Brian Bowman, 8th grade, ambassador: "it's not only for school, it's for the community"

LAUREN DISPIRITO
13 WMAZ
EYEWITNESS NEWS
THE BILL IS EXPECTED TO BE FILED IN THE STATE HOUSE THIS WEEK.KIM LANFORD SAYS FORTY STUDENTS AT JONES COUNTY'S OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOL... GRAY STATION... ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THE SAFE SCHOOL AMBASSADOR PROGRAM.

NEARLY FIFTY YEARS AGO... AMIDST RACIAL SEGREGATION.... MERCER UNIVERSITY SENT ITS FIRST ACCEPTANCE LETTER TO A BLACK STUDENT.SAM ONI LEFT HIS HOME IN GHANA... AND STARTED HIS UNDERGRADUATE CAREER IN A TIME WHEN HE WAS THREATENED WITH JAIL TIME... FOR WORSHIPPING IN SOME MACON CHURCHES... BECAUSE OF HIS SKIN COLOR.AS AMY AUBERT SHOWS YOU... ONE FORMER MERCER STUDENT STEPPED UP AND TOOK ON A ROLE THAT HE SAYS.. CHANGED HIS LIFE.<<
IT'S THE YEAR 1963... AT THE HEIGHT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT... AND MERCER UNIVERSITY FIRST OPENED ITS DOORS... TO A BLACK STUDENT.

Sam Oni, Ghana: "It was a recurring nightmare, it was four years of it."

SAM ONI SAYS AS A COLLEGE FRESHMAN FROM GHANA... TRANSITIONING INTO A SEGREGATED AMERICA... WAS OVERWHELMING.

Sam Oni: "You couldn't go to this restaurant or you couldn't go to this movie theatre, and so on and so forth."

AND WHEN MERCER BASKETBALL STAR DON BAXTER AGREED TO BECOME ONI'S ROOMMATE... HE SAYS... HE GOT THE SAME TREATMENT.

Don Baxter, Atlanta: "I went through a lot of life experiences rooming with him, where I realized what it was like to be black or be in his shoes."

Amy Aubert, Eyewitness News: "Because of his obligations to the basketball team, and he didn't want his friends to look at him differently, Baxter says, at first, even he said no to taking on the role as Sam Oni's roommate."

BAXTER SAYS... STANDING BY ONI'S SIDE THROUGH JAIL THREATS AND NAME-CALLING CHANGED HIS LIFE.
HE SAYS... HE WAS PROUD TO BE A PART OF A NARROW VOTE AT VINEVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH THAT ACCEPTED ONI AS THEIR FIRST BLACK MEMBER.

Nats, Oni

Don Baxter: "We walked right through the front door and up to the balcony and I sat down with him, and two of my friends came and joined us that day, and no one said anything it was very quiet."

THE ROOMMATES SAY THEY PLAYED A SMALL ROLE IN BREAKING DOWN RACIAL BOUNDARIES IN THE EARLY '60'S... AND ONI HOPES UPCOMING MERCER STUDENTS DO THE SAME.

Oni: "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Amy Aubert, 13 WMAZ, Eyewitness News. THE TWO FORMER ROOMMATES SPOKE THIS AFTERNOON AS PART OF MERCER'S FOUNDERS' DAY.AFTER GRADUATING FROM MERCER... SAM ONI ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA... AT BERKELEY... AND RECEIVED HIS MASTERS IN JOURNALISM.DONALD BAXTER RECEIVED HIS M-D FROM THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GEORGIA IN 19-69... AND WORKS AS A DOCTOR OF SPORTS MEDICINE.HE'S TREATED COUNTLESS ATHLETES AND OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL WINNERS.

BOTH MACON AND BIBB COUNTY REPORTED AN INCREASE IN METAL THEFTS LAST YEAR.
THEY SAY THEIVES AREN'T JUST TARGETING VACANT OR ABANDONED BUILDINGS... AND THEY'RE LEAVING BEHIND SOME UNLIKELY VICTIMS.
"Like a big jolt in your stomach, oh man, we spent all this money and now we've got to come back and do it again."
WE'LL TELL YOU HOW METAL THIEVES IMPACTED ONE PROGRAM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE AND NURTURE OF HUNDREDS OF UNDER PRIVILEGED CHILDREN...

HAVE YOU EVER STARTED AN AUTOMATIC DRAFT... AND RAN INTO TROUBLE STOPPING IT? SHERRI GOSS WITH ROSENBERG FINANCIAL GROUP IS HERE WITH SOME TIPS.
SHERRI, WHY IS IT HARD TO STOP AN AUTOMATIC DRAFT? IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF YOU TELL THE BANK TO STOP, IT SHOULD STOP.

Should is the operative word there. The BBB has received thousands of complaints about "free trial offers" that turn into monthly bills that people can't stop.

What consumers need to know is that the Federal Reserve's rules govern pre-authorized transfers, so if you notify your bank in writing, they must block all future payments to the party that is debiting your account.

The same goes for credit card charges.

So, if you're having this problem, write a letter telling them to stop the automatic draft and why, including the date you cancelled service with the company that is billing you.

Reference the Federal Reserve ruling, and provide you name, account number, and contact information.IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR SHERRI CALL HER AT 752-1374 OR EMAIL HER AT EYEWITNESSNEWS@13WMAZ.COM.
SHE'LL BE HERE UNTIL 6:30..

STUDENTS AT HOWARD HIGH SCHOOL ARE PREPARING FOR THE WORKING WORLD BY SITTING DOWN WITH EMPLOYERS FOR MOCK INTERVIEWS.STUDENTS PREPARED LAST WEEK BY CREATING RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS TO PRESENT TO THE EMPLOYERS.THEY DRESSED UP AND WAITED TO BE CALLED IN FOR THEIR IINTERVIEWS WHICH LASTED ABOUT TEN TO TWENTY MINUTES.DURING THE SESSIONS.... EMPLOYERS REVIEWED THEIR RESUME AND COVER LETTER AND ASKED QUESTIONS... LIKE WHAT ARE YOUR STRONG POINTS.AND AT THE END...THEY GAVE EACH STUDENT SOME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.
Christen Wynn, Macon "You need to present yourself well, you need to talk well, you need to give great eye contact"
Jason Weiss, Business Ed. Instructor "It's hard to find a job, you got to give yourself and be competitive any way you can, so we thought maybe talk to the kids here at the high school level. So they can kind of be competitive whether its just a high school job for them or it is a job in the future"VOLUNTEER BUSINESS LEADERS FROM THE COMMUNITY CAME IN TO MEET WITH THE STUDENTS.THE MOCK INTERVIEWS SESSIONS BEGAN LAST WEEK AND WILL FINISH UP ON FRIDAY.